1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic meeting support system for realizing an electronic meeting and presentation with improved operation efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electronic meetings or presentations utilizing work stations Or personal computers tend to be made with improved operation efficiency. There is known among meeting support systems, a system in which a personal computer is connected to a large size screen via a communication line, and a screen of a personal computer is displayed on the large size screen to provide a function of an overhead projector (OHP) or an electronic black board.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional meeting support system. The meeting support system shown in FIG. 1 comprises a large size monitor 1, serving as an alternative to an OHP or a black board, for enlarging and displaying various data, a monitor controller 3, having a serial synchronization communication interface, for controlling the large size monitor 1 to display various data, a personal computer main body 5 having a serial synchronization communication interface, and connected to the monitor controller 3 via a serial synchronization communication line 7, a CRT display device 9 used as a monitor when the personal computer is operated, a keyboard 11 serving as an input device of the personal computer, a mouse 13 serving as another input device of the personal computer, and a floppy disk drive (FDD) 15 serving as an external storage device of the personal computer. Display data from the personal computer is transmitted to the monitor controller via the serial synchronization communication line 7, and is then displayed on the large size monitor 1. In FIG. 1, a participant of a meeting or a presenter in a presentation loads meeting material data or presentation material data, created in advance using another personal computer and stored in a floppy disk (FD), from the FDD 15 to the personal computer main body 5, and explains or presents it to other participants by displaying the material data on the large size monitor 1 via the line 7 and the monitor controller 3.
New data input by the keyboard 11 and the mouse 13 during explanation or presentation can be stored in the FDD 15 as a memorandum.
However, in the conventional system, since only one terminal device (personal computer) can operate the large size monitor 1, the number of participants, who can display his or her data on the large size monitor, or can input or display his or her opinion there, is limited to one at a time. For this reason, a plurality of participants cannot simultaneously input or display their opinions on the large size monitor. Therefore, when a plurality of participants are required to input and display their opinions like in discussion, the meeting support system cannot effectively function.